Maladaptive eating behaviors in mood disorders are diverse and clinically relevant but have only been characterized into phenotypes based on theoretical evidence. The objective of the current study is to assess the prevalence of maladaptive eating behavior phenotypes (EBP) in mood disorders based on empirical evidence.

An online survey package including five questionnaires was administered to assess the prevalence and proportion of maladaptive eating behaviors in a mood disorder population (n = 100). Principal component analysis (PCA) and mixed measures analysis of variance (mANOVA) were conducted to characterize maladaptive EBPs.

Numerous maladaptive eating behaviors were identified in MDD and BD, including poor dietary quality, emotional eating, binge eating, and night eating behaviors. Differences between diagnostic groups are discussed. Three EBPs were characterized according to the PCA: (1) food impulsivity; (2) emotional eating; and (3) mindfulness in eating, with a significant influence of age and medication on the characterizations according to the mANOVA.

Maladaptive eating behaviors occur in mood disorders and can be characterized into distinct EBPS. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary and hypothesis-generating given the sample size, absence of a healthy comparator group, and potential confounds. As psychiatry moves toward a more comprehensive, personalized approach to diagnosis and treatment, EBPs require prospective validation in larger, controlled investigations to determine clinical relevance.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a debilitating condition occurring in major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar II disorder (BP-II). Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is an established neuromodulation approach for TRD, but standard delivery requires once-daily sessions over several weeks. Accelerated iTBS (aiTBS) may reduce treatment burden by temporally compressing delivery. We evaluated the implementation, tolerability, and clinical outcomes associated with a 5-day aiTBS schedule for adults experiencing TRD in MDD and BP-II.

In this single-center, open-label, uncontrolled, prospective naturalistic cohort study, adults with MDD or BP-II experiencing TRD received 30 iTBS sessions (600 pulses/session; total 18 000 pulses) over 5 days with 50-minute inter-session intervals. HAMD-17 was assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 2-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), baseline Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S), post-treatment/follow-up CGI-I, response/remission rates, and adverse events. Longitudinal changes were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models.

Forty-six participants contributed longitudinal data (mean age 44.3 years; 54.4% male). HAMD-17 response rates were 28.3% (n = 13) post-treatment and 37.0% (n = 17) at follow-up; remission rates were 26.1% (n = 12) and 32.6% (n = 15), respectively. Improvements were also observed on PHQ-9 and GAD-7. On CGI-I, 52.2% were rated improved post-treatment and 60.9% at follow-up. The most common adverse event was transient, non-serious stimulation-site pain.

The 5-day aiTBS schedule was logistically feasible, well-tolerated, and associated with reductions in depressive and anxiety symptom scores in a real-world TRD cohort. Randomized sham-controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common and debilitating condition marked by intense fear of negative evaluation in social situations. It often co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders, and in particular Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The exact cause of SAD is unclear, though biological, environmental, and genetic factors are believed to contribute. Recent research highlights the involvement of neuropeptides, neurohormones, and immune system components in SAD development, suggesting complex interactions between psychological and biological factors, with a growing focus on inflammation’s role. This study aimed to investigate potential biochemical correlates of SAD in individuals with ASD, their first-degree relatives (BAP group), and healthy controls (HCs), focusing on inflammatory markers, neuropeptides, and growth factors.

Twenty-four adults with ASD, their relatives, and HCs, for a total of 72 participants, were assessed. Biochemical parameters were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and social anxiety symptoms were evaluated via the Social Phobia Spectrum—Self Report (SHY-SR) questionnaire.

Individuals with ASD exhibited significantly higher SHY-SR scores compared to the BAP and HCs. Subjects in the ASD group tended to make greater use of anxiolytics in order to improve their social interaction skills. Additionally, a specific pattern of correlation and association was found between biochemical variables and specific SAD symptoms, suggesting a potential role of inflammatory pathways in SAD pathophysiology.

Our results confirm the presence of greater social phobic symptoms in subjects with ASD, and support the hypothesis of a role of the inflammatory cascade in the maintenance of the disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with increased stroke risk and can be conceptualized in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as emotional constraint or “Qi Stagnation” that may contribute to “Blood Stasis.” However, the country-level ecological relationship between stroke burden and MDD prevalence remains unclear, and high-stroke settings may have under-recognized MDD because of differences in data availability, diagnostic practices, mental health services, and cultural symptom expression. This study quantifies this ecological association and interprets it through an Integrated Medicine framework.

Using Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 data, we analyzed age-standardized stroke Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) rates for all stroke and age-standardized prevalence rates for the GBD cause category of MDD across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023. An exploratory Diagnostic Gap Score (ZStroke—ZMDD) was developed to identify countries and territories with disproportionate stroke burden relative to reported MDD prevalence.

A negative ecological correlation emerged globally and strengthened over time (r = −0.059 in 1990 versus r = −0.218 in 2023, P = 0.002). The highest stroke burden quartile (Q4) reported lower MDD prevalence (2639.9/100 000) than the lowest quartile (3067.0/100 000; mean difference 427.1/100 000, 95% CI: 121.52 to 732.58), despite an 8.3% increase in stroke burden in Q4. The score identified clusters with disproportionate stroke burden relative to MDD prevalence in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Island settings.

Low reported MDD prevalence in high-stroke countries and territories suggests a potential diagnostic, reporting, or data-quality mismatch rather than biological protection. These ecological findings do not prove that undiagnosed MDD causes stroke burden, but they support culturally adapted mental health screening in primary care, stroke-prevention clinics, and community health settings, with referral pathways for those who screen positive.